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The secretarybird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a very large terrestrial bird of prey. I was fortunate to spot it in East Africa, where it is usually found in the open grasslands and Savannah. Africans call it the Devil's Horse and it is the national emblem of Sudan as well as a prominent feature on the Coat of arms of South Africa. Thanks to lightning-quick aerial kicks and stomps forceful enough to shatter bone, the secretarybird is a master at immobilizing dangerous prey. A much more formidable hunter than its crane-like appearance would suggest, it is even capable of vanquishing the deadly black mamba, the fastest terrestrial snake in the world. But this skill makes the bird a  popular pet for humans, who rob nests and raise young as Protection from snakes. Meanwhile, prey is becoming harder and harder to find due to habitat degradation. So, only a 100,000 of these bird now survive in the wild.

When patrolling the woods, Steller’s Jays stick to the high canopy, but you’ll hear their harsh, scolding calls if they’re nearby. Graceful and almost lazy in flight, they fly with long swoops on their broad, rounded wings. (Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

This one is an adult male as its red crown and crest shows with a stiff tail to provide support against the tree trunk. It is the only golden-backed woodpecker with a black throat and black rump. This bird appears in a 4.50 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp and a 3.75 Taka postal stamp from Bangladesh.

The main range is along the Western Ghats and along the associated hills of southern India into parts of the southern Eastern Ghats. In some areas such as in the city of Bangalore, it has been suggested that this species may have displaced the brown-headed barbet which was once said to occur there. White-cheeked barbets have a beneficial effect on coffee plantations across the Western Ghats... I clicked this barbet in Bangalore in 2015.

The steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) breeds from Romania through the Russian and Central Asian steppes to Mongolia. The European and Central Asian birds winter in Africa, and the eastern ones come to India during this time. Bangalore, India | January 2015

I saw this little bird early one morning atop a giant cactus tree near Nakuru in Kenya.

The vivid plumage of Hartlaub’s Turaco, is a product of two unique copper pigments, unknown in any other bird family, or indeed in any other animal group, says the Oxford Encyclopedia of Birds.

I clicked this in the southern Indian hills of Yercaud, Tamil Nadu. May 2014

I spotted this bird in Pondicherry India | August 2014

Ring Billed Gull

A fable from central Bougainville Island relates how a mother left her baby under a banana tree while gardening, and the baby floated into the sky crying and transformed into Kaa'nang, the brahminy kite, its necklace becoming the birds feathers. (Wikipedia)

Spotted the Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus) in Kolkata at IIM-C Campus. It has a melodious single whistling call wIth a little roll in the sound, which attracted me to this bird. It is a passerine bird of tropical southern Asia with seasonal migratory movements. They live in open forests and woodlands, and are opportunistic omnivores, their diet being fruit, berries, arthropods, and nectar. In Bengal and Bangladesh, this bird is known as ‘Bene Bou’ or ‘Krishno Kotha Pakhi’ in Bangla.

The Yellow-footed Green Pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera) also known as ‘Hariyal’ forage in flocks on forest canopies remaining well-hidden in foliage. Although brightly colored, they are not easy to spot high up on a leafy tree. I was lucky to find a few of them while looking up one tall and well-spread kadam tree full of ripe fruits - perhaps a favorite feeding place as you can see. A stout and heavy bird, it is a voracious fruit-eater, and rarely visits the ground. It has ashy olive-green above with olivish yellow collar, band in dark slaty tail, lilac shoulder patch, and yellow legs and underbody. It moves briskly with a clatter of wings and fast direct flight. Catch them if you can! Photographed at IIMC, Joka, Kolkata, India.

The Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis) is a fine songster with a long tail that is held upright. A popular cagebird for their singing abilities, they continue to be in the pet trade in parts of Southeast Asia. The Magpie Robin is the National Bird of Bangladesh, where it is common and known as the Doyel / Doel (Bengali: দোয়েল) widely seen as a symbol appearing on currency notes. A popular city square in Dhaka is named after this bird - Doyel Chatwar. I saw this Doel couple in Joka, Kolkata, India.

The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. (Text courtesy: Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Photo Copyright Subhamoy Das | Location: Indianapolis | Year 2010 | Camera: Canon PowerShot SX200 IS)

This Jungle Babbler was sitting on the lightning arrest-or. Could manage one or two clear pics.

The Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicatus) has a glossy blue-black upper body and a long tail that is held erect revealing its chestnut undertail. It is found in open scrub areas and often seen perching on low thorny shrubs and rocks. Human activities such as felling and firewood removal in forests appear to benefit them. The species was introduced into the New York region but did not establish. I caught this handsome male on camera this evening — at Hyderabad Central University.